Every company has a culture. Whether it forms intentionally or evolves organically over time, culture is one of the most powerful determinants of an organization’s success or failure. Yet many businesses underestimate its importance or fail to leverage it at all.

Leaders across industries consistently reinforce the same truth:

“Corporate culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within the control of the entrepreneur.” — David Cummings

“I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn't just one aspect of the game—it is the game.” — Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.

“Determine what behaviors and beliefs you value as a company, and have everyone live true to them.” — Brittany Forsyth

"The stronger the culture, the less corporate process a company needs.” — Brian Chesky

“What I believe today is that our culture has everything to do with our bottom line.” — Vern Dosch

While every organization has a culture, not every organization can clearly define it. That clarity matters, because a well-defined culture should guide three critical areas of any business: hiring, decision-making, and interpersonal interactions.

Culture in Hiring

Too often, hiring decisions focus almost exclusively on skills and experience. While competency is important, overlooking character, values, and cultural alignment can lead to costly mistakes.

A strong hiring process begins with clearly defining the type of person your organization needs & then asking intentional questions to determine whether candidates truly fit.

During my time as Founder and President of Lender E-Source (2001–2007), we needed experienced mortgage underwriters who could translate complex guidelines into structured data. Early on, I hired people with the right resumes but many didn’t succeed.

After reviewing repeated failures, the issue became clear: our culture required team members who were willing to speak up, challenge ideas, and share opinions openly.

To address this, I changed our interview process and began asking one simple question:

“If you are having an interpersonal issue with someone at work, how do you handle it?”

The answers usually fell into three categories:

1. “I try not to let it get to me.”

2. “I go talk to my boss.”

3. “I go talk directly to the person involved.”

No matter how qualified a candidate was, if they didn’t align with the third response, I didn’t hire them. That shift, combined with a few other refinements, dramatically reduced turnover, improved employee satisfaction, and strengthened the team.

Skills get someone in the door. Cultural alignment determines whether they thrive.

Culture in Decision-Making

A business can be viewed as a continuous series of decisions: what to do, how to do it, who to partner with, and which opportunities to pursue or avoid.

When culture and values are clearly understood, they provide a consistent framework for making those decisions. Much like the Bill of Rights establishes boundaries and principles for a nation, organizational culture establishes guardrails for behavior and strategy.

Without that clarity, companies are easily distracted by the next “shiny object”, or a new system, partnership, or opportunity that pulls them off course. I’m reminded of the dogs in the movie Up, who lose focus the moment they hear, “Squirrel!”

A strong culture helps organizations stay aligned, focused, and intentional, especially when tempting distractions arise.

Culture in Interpersonal Interactions

Every organization is built on relationships, among employees, with vendors, and with clients. How those interactions are handled often determines long-term success.

At LoanPASS, the second client we ever onboarded made a comment that stuck with me. Their VP of Operations said:

“Derek, yours is the best tech company we’ve ever worked with.”

At the time, we were still defining our mission and values. From that moment forward, I made it a goal to hear those words again and often. To this day, I share that story during new client kickoffs and set the expectation that we will earn that same response.

One common mistake I’ve seen is companies believing that courtesy applies only to customers, and not to employees or vendors. That mindset erodes trust. Treating everyone with respect and consistency creates stronger relationships and long-term loyalty.

A Cultural Test Case: LoanPASS and QCITI

When I joined this startup in 2020, I knew from experience that culture could not be dictated from the top.It had to be built together.

We started with an exercise that initially felt unusual. Each employee submitted five words they believed should define our company. After discussions, voting, and multiple rounds of refinement, we landed on five core values:

Quality. Collaborate. Integrity. Transform. Innovate.

We formed the acronym QCITI to make the values memorable and actionable.

Next, we aligned those values with our purpose and created our mission statement:

“Transforming the lending industry with innovative decisioning solutions."

QCITI didn’t live in a document—it became part of how we operated. We revisited it in monthly meetings, recognized employees who exemplified it, shared it with clients, and held ourselves publicly accountable to it.

Five years later, the impact is undeniable:

• Integrity shaped how we sold—no vaporware, no overselling.

• Clients rave about our service as much as our technology.

• Vendors regularly comment on our collaborative approach.

• Hiring with QCITI in mind created a team that doesn’t need micromanagement.

• Even acquisitions became clearer decisions when cultural alignment was present.

QCITI became so ingrained that we stopped thinking of it as “culture.” It simply became who we are.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one takeaway from more than 30 years of building and leading teams, it’s this: culture is integral to an organizatConsider these questions:

• Can you clearly articulate your company’s culture and values?

• If parts of your culture need to change, do you have a concrete plan to address them?

• Is everyone in your organization aligned and do those outside your company understand what you stand for?

When culture is intentional, aligned, and lived daily, organizations become more successful, more resilient, and far less frustrating to lead.

Culture isn’t soft.
Culture is strategy.

Derek Long is a seasoned mortgage lending/ fintech executive, founder, and thought leader with over 30 years of experience building and leading technology-driven organizations in the lending industry. He currently serves as COO at LoanPASS, where he has helped shape the company’s strategy, culture, and market approach, contributing to its reputation for innovation, integrity, and exceptional client service.

Throughout his career, Derek has guided companies through growth, product development, and successful acquisitions by aligning people, values, and execution. He is widely known for his belief that culture is a strategic advantage, not a soft concept and for building teams that operate with accountability, collaboration, and trust.  Derek regularly writes and speaks on leadership, hiring for cultural fit, and values-driven decision-making, drawing on real-world experience to help organizations scale with purpose and clarity.